Wall partition



. 1,616,768 Aif. H. THoMAsoN WALL PARTITIQN l Filed sept. 25 1924 ssheets-sheet'l Il Il Feb. y6, 1927;

Feb. 8,1921. 1,616,768

P. H. 'rHoMAsoN WALL PARTITION 61166 sept. 25, 1924 f s sheets-sheet 2 Feb. 8,1921. 1,616,768

v P. H. THOMASON WALL PARTITION I' V Patented Feb. 8, 19271.` y, i l

ici-i.v

PIERCE n. 'rnoiviiisoir or Los ANGELES, cALiEonivrA.- 'Y

i WALL inantirmioiny Application i'led September 25, 1924. Serial No. 739,780.

VThis invention has to do with wall structures and the like; and particularly with partition walls such as'arecommonly used in ofices; and although the invention is not necessarily restricted tothe particular. use about to be described, the present embodiment of the invention has been developed and designed,particularly for partition installation in ofiices and thelike after completion of the building structure itself.

It has been quite common inthe past that,

i in 'rearranging suites of o'liices, .partitions have been installed; and it has been commonA either to build such partitions in place, orf

to build `the partitions in'sections and '.'hen

setY them up inv place.v The.sectionalfpartr' deficiencies; p and toI provide a partition structure that`.may be sectionally manufactured, that can be easily set up in position and. firmly anchored or set in place, and that, when completed, is strong and rigid.

- Other objects of the invention Will `be best vunderstood from the following detailed .de-

rv'scription of a preferred `form and embodiment of the Vinvent-ion, reference for this purpose being had to the accompanying drawing in whichl fioy Fig. l is an elevation, with partsv in section, illustrating a typical partition wall in accordance with my invention; e

2 is an enlarged Jfragmentary cross; section takenon line 2-2 of Fig. `l;

Fig. 3

Fig. 2;

Fig. 4; is 4a sectional enlargement of cerfy tain details shown in section in Fig.v l;

5%-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig.l 6 is a .detail section taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 3;

Fig.7 isa detail section taken on line 7 7 ofV Figa; f

Figs. 8 and 9 `are detail sections' showing invention, the units will be manufactured in N A primary object of. the .present 'invention is .to overcome these isla section taken on line S-Swoii how the method of panel connection, similar v to that shown in Fig. 7 may be `used to connect `panels I at a corner-or angle in a partition; y 1 y y f Fig. l0 is a section on line 10-10 `of 60 Fig. 4; and y 1 l Fig. 11 is a sectionl gon' line 11-11 of Fig.'

In the typical partition wall shown in the 'drawings there is shown a partition pro` 65"` vided lwith a central door'D anda transom T above'the door. Oneither side ofthey doorandtransom there are sectional units generally designated,by'Ul and U1. In'this' l l particular installation'the units are of equal v70 Widths and the door is centralized; but`r it will be readily understood that partitions.

, may be set up with theunits, doors, etc. in

any desired arrangement. Inf-themanufaeture of partitions in accordance with this certain standard heights and widths; so that by proper selection ofiini-ts a partition may be assembled to suit any situation. Having. i

selected'pi'operwidths.of unitsy that come as S9 i near as may beto making up the full length Y dimensions of the partition; the Iremaining spaces are filled by what may7 be termed filling boards F and F1 at the ends of the partition andl adjacent thewalls W of the building structure." These boards F and F?L may be easily and quickly cut or finished `to the proper size; and these are the only parts of'l the whole partition, with the exception of .the continuous stiening rail R and ceiling f9.0 Y bearing rail R1, and a few othersmall parts,

that .have to be dimensioned especially for f a particular job. f f Y Now, to describe'first the structure ofone of the sectional uni-ts U, it maybe said to be a framed member with,l side posts or Stiles S, a top rail 10, a solid panel 1l in its lower part and, if desired, a glass panel ll2 in-itsv upper part setin Va'sash.13,"the sashlbeingset bet-Ween upper'rail 10 and a middle rail .14. The Whole framed structure of a unitA U is held together by a'bolting arrangement such as is generally shown in Fig. 1 and shown iny detail inthe other figures. For instance`,upper rail l0 is bolted at'the end 'to the upper ends of posts Sby bolts 20 which pass throughbores 21 inpostsS` and*k through bor-es 22 vin rail 10,'the lnuts`23 of the bolts being located in notch-es 24: cut in the upper edgefof rail '10. Similarly, the

`of this solid panel.

iframe structure of unit U isheld together at the bottoml by the same kind of bolts 20,

arranged in the saine way, except that here the bolts 2O engage the lower edge of panel l1 and notches 24 are cut in the lower edge Where a solid panel is lused in the lower part of the unit, as is usually the case, it is not necessary that the lower edge of the unit have a lower rail. And, in tact, it is desirable not to have a lower rail on such units because base boards 25 are used at each side ot' panel 11. These base boards cover the gap that might otherwise exist between the lower edge of panel yll and the floor, and such gaps may thereby be of any dimension less than the vertical height oit base board 25. rlhis arrangement thus provides an Ieasy method of making small adjustments in the height of' the partitionto suit the ceiling height of the room.

'To tie adjacent units together substantially the same bolting means is utilized as aboveexplaine'd. As an illustration of this, an explanation oi." the tying of the two units U to the header H above door D will sutce. For instance, it will be readily understood that if the illustrated partition'were not to be equipped with a door at D, another unit, built up like the units U, would be put in place instead ot' door l) and header H. Thus, in this particular illustration, header H may be taken as indicativeA ot' any kind of unit. Header H has notches cut in its upper edge near its ends and bolts 3l, extending 'through holes 32 in the header,`have their nuts 83 located in the notches 30. Now, as an illustration ot the variety of manners in which the various bolts may be used, the

` boltsv 20, as shown in Fig. 3, used at the outer edges oi'units U pass clear through posts S and have heads at the outer faces of those posts. On the other hand,.where a post S comes between one unit and another,

i as between aunit U and suoli a member as header H, or where a post S forms a common post or stile for adjacent units, it may be desirable not to run the bolts 20 completely through the post or stile. rlhus, for

instance, at the upper inner edges of units U, wher-e header H is set in, the bolts 2()a and bolts 3l are made with eyes 34 at their inner ends and these eyes are pinned into connection with the post, as tor instance by drivinga nail through the bolt eyes from the end ot the post. In Figs 8 and 9 there is illustrated how this method o'f bolting may be used to connect units that use a common stile or post and where the units are either set in the same planev or make angleswith each other. For instance, at Fig. 8 `two units are shown at right angles, with a common cornerpost S, and the bolts 20h. are shown accordingly arranged. n Fig. 9 three units'U are shown, two in position to make a continuous partition wall and the other in position to make a cross partition wall7 and the bolts 2Ob are shown in corresponding arrangements.

From these illustrations it will be readily understood, without ythe necessity of further detailed description, how units may be set up to and rigidly connected with a common post, the units being in any plane arrangement desired, and the units being thus rigid-l ly interconnected.

For the purpose of securing the set-up partition to the vfloor various means may be used. For instance, if the Hoor is of wood or covered with linoleum an anchor bracket l0 may be used, such a bracket being attached to the lower end of each post S and having on its lower face spurs il that may be driven into the floor or floor covering. ln case the floor is of concrete or similar material, then these brackets may beanchored'by boring a hole and setting in an expansion anchoil bolt or screw; bracket 40 being provided with a hole 42 for this purpose. These bracketsO are set, as illustrated, on the inside faces of postsl S so that they are iinally covered by base boards 25. One ot these base'boards 25 may be permanently attached to the unit structure while the other may be attached with screws L5 after the brackets d() have beenl Sol properly set on the iioor. These base boards l the building structure and to cover the lowerl ends of filling board F and cover the gap otherwise existing below the lower end ot"V that filling board and the floor. f

The filling boards F, las before described,

are used for the purpose of filling up the gaps that would otherwise exist between the outer ends of the set-up units and the walls 'W between which the iinished partition wall is intended to extend. These filling boards F are inished to a length suitable to the height of units U and to widths that will substantially lill the gaps, preferably leaving a small gap of one-'eighth or one-quarter inch or so at 46 between their outer edges and wall W. rlhis small gap allows for any iio inaccuracies either ot measurement or votV the wall surface itself. The inner-vertical. edges vof filling boards vF llie in vertical grooves 47 in the outer tace of posts S; and they are placed in position so that their upper ends are somewhat below the upper ends of the posts, and a small gap may be left between their lower ends and the floor B. These gaps, as hereinbefore stated, are covered bythe short base boards-252ky At the upper outer edge of each board F a e notch 48 is'cut and a hole 49 is drilled horizontally back into board F from this notchj48. A. bolt or cap screw 50 has its end extending. into hole` 49 and a. nut 51 bears against the side surface ot the. notch while yhead52 of the'bolt bears against 'a-small bearing block 53 that bears against the wall. Head 52 and nut 51 may be. easily reached from the side, because they stand exposed in notch 48 until `the cornice molding, as

" Vafterwards described-fis put into/place;l and by proper manipulation of nut 51 bearing block '53 'may be'forced out against wall 'W l This being done at'each end ofy the/partiat the time 'oftheir manufacture, being for Vposts S extend up ,'60, grooved the upper edge of rail 10,A etc.

tion, it will be seen thateach endis thus ",-anchored firmly against the opposite wall' W, vand also that thevvarious` unitsl of the partition are compressed together longitudinally. j

After boards F have ,been properly placed andset as described the small gap at46 is closed by the application of, base boardl 25a and small vertical cover strips 55, vthe gap and notch 48 at the upper end of board F being covered by the cornice molding as will be described.

' At the4 upper edges of beyond .the upper edges of 'upper rail 10 of each unit,'or above the upperedge of header H, as the `case may be; this is clearlyshown'in Figs. 2, 3',

instance,v glued or otherwise permanently connected with rails 10 and at their vends -with posts S,` between which posts they extend. Outside this head member 60, and to cover its outside face and to forma cornice mold, a permanent mold piece `62 is placed on one'side of the unit, `being permanently connected in suitable` manner to rail 10 and also -to the outer edge of thehead piece 460,

and being tongue and groove connected as' at 63 to the headl piece for the purpose of making'arigid andstrong joint. This corj'screws .64.`l

cover up notches 24 andbolts 20;`and 're* movalof the removable inold'63 allows easy access to the boltspfor setting up and for nice molding also 4is individual :to eachy 'unit and extends betweenposts S. A similar cornice molding 63 at the opposite-taceo't theunit is put in place so that it can be removed and replaced, being yheld for instance by kThese two cornice moldings tightening. Likewise short pieces of the same kind of cornice mold, as sho-wnat 62a and 68a cover the notch 48l and bolt 50 and there is placed a head member are secured to filler boards F in thesame bearing blockl53. Themolds 62a and 63a." i

manner that molds 62 and 63,are secured to rail 10. Also at the upper edge ofthe liller boardsshort pieces othead piece 60n are `fitted just as'head pieces 60 arelitted; fr; and `cornice molds 652a and 63 are likewisev secured to; these short headpieces'tOa.

After theunits, that Ahave been sofar dei scribedfh'ave been set up'in place, then a continuous st-itfening rail R, .cut to proper length for ythe entire `length ott-he partition `wall, isf'putinto place as illustrated. This n stiti'ening rail R sets down on top the several v head members 60 and 60a., fits with its bev- .elled "edges 66 between the inside angular or-bevelled yl'aces of molds "62 yand 63, 652@A and 63a, and is held'down tol these head1 members by screws 67. When this stien- *ing rail R is put in place it wedges down between t-he oppositemoldsf62 and 63y and also 'wedges into similarly vshaped notches ,.68 at Vtlie'to'ps ot posts S, this stiilening rail passl ing continuouslythrough the tops'ot' posts each unit Uthe l l By beingthus wedged intov placefthis stilli.

S,fas-is best"illustrated inl Figs. 13' and .4.v

soA

eniiigrail holds the various :units rigidlyfin y' alinement. rlhe units being thus held in rigid alinement along the tops' and between' .their ends, and the ends oi' the partition, at i `the' top,*being hel :lv rigidly in engagement `with' or 'anchored to, the building walls, it r will be seen that the upper part of the' partition structure is vthus made rigid *and* strong.

The lowerr part of the partition structure being anchored at the posts tothe loor,.the. whole partition of both "top and bottom, is fheldfrigidly in place. l Now such a partition as this maybe built only to tlielieight of the cornice formed byv carry :it onup tothe ceiling of the room. :It will be noted that, due to the structure herevinbelnre explained, a partition thatV is only i built as high as the cornicewill be perfectly strongand rigidit is notnecessary for the purposes ot rigidity in this construction to continue the partition on up to theyceiling.

l0?) v molds' 62 and 63;v or it may be 'desired to However, in many instances itis desired to o extendy the partition to the ceiling and that is done inthe manner now about to' bedescribed.

" "Units U1 are provided in suitable vertical and horizontal dimensions *so` that by prop-er ychoice units may be chosen to vsuit any situ'- ation. Theseunits U1 maybe, itfdesired,

solid panel insertedQ'rThe details of con-- Astruction `ot these units are of no particular importancejso v tar 'as the invention `is. concerned. Also, for-'a partition having a door, a frame may be provided as a unit t ,4

transom T, or this unit may be containing a built up m any suitable manner. The lower edges of these various upper units restl in `a `merely ksaslies S1 with aglass panel or a isj longitudinalgroo'vel in the upper face of stiflening rail R. Consequently, their lower` edges lare held in alinement'by this continuous stiifening rail.V The vertical dimensions of-th-ese various upper units are chosen so as to.`leave a small ga between their upper edges and ceiling In this gap a continuous ceiling bearing rail R1 is placed. This rail has a longitudinal groove 72 along its under face, and the square headsy 73 of bolts or cap screws 74 rest in this groove. These bolts or cap screws 74 project down into holes 75 bored into the upper edges of the upper units, and nuts 76 on the bolts may be turned to force the bolt heads up against rail R1 and thus force rail R1 up against the ceiling.l Thus, the upper edges of the upper units are anchored to the ceiling.; and, rail R1 vbeing continuous from end to end of the partition the upper edges of the upper units areheld rigidly in alinement by rail R1,just as their lower'edges are held rigidly in alinement by stiffening rail R. Alsoit will be noted that this pressingy of rail R1 up against th-e ceiling presses the whole partition down against the licor and thus serves to hold the spurs al against vlifting.V The filler boards F1 at each end of the upper part of the partition, above stiffening rail R, also have their lower edgesresting 1n longitudinal groove 7l of rail R, and they also are equipped with bolts 74 which bear' up against rail R1. The gap immediately below rail R1, and the bolts 74, are covered by two moldings 78 placed as illustrated. lt has been lexplained how filler boards F are set in vertical grooves 47 in the outer faces of posts S; and filler boards F1. may correspondingly have aI similarv connection with the vertical edges of units U1 or their sashes S1. For instance, the abutting vertical edges of sashes S1 and filler boards F1 may have corresponding grooves in which a locktonguey 79 may be placed. The several upper units may also be interconnected 'in this same manner. The slight gaps between walls W and the outer ends of filler boards F1 may be cover-ed by covering strips"L similar to cover strips 55.

Having described invention, I claim:

l. A partition structure involving plurality of units 'comprising vertical posts and an upper rail, a head piece over the rail bea preferred form of my tween the posts, and cornice moldings atl opposite sides of and projecting upwardly above the upper edges of the rail forming a groove between them, the posts projecting above the upper edge of the rail and being notchedat their upper ends to form continu` ations` yof the groove, the said grooves and notches having downwardly `converging sides; the several units'being set endto end, and a continuous stiffening rail extending from endto end of the several units and resting in their said grooves and post notches, the rail havingv bevelled side edges and adapted to be wedged down into th-e grooves and notches to the several units; filler boards filling the spaces between the outermost posts ofthe partition structure and the wall surfaces between which the partition is set, and screw operated bearing blocks on the filler boards adapted to be forced against said wall surfaces. i

2. A partition structure involving a plurality of units comprising vertical posts and an upper rail, a head piece over the rail between the posts, and cornice moldings at opposite sides of and projecting upwardly above the upper edges of the rail forming a lgroove between them, the posts projecting above the upper edge of the raill and being notched at their upper endsto form continuations of the groove, thejsaid grooves and notches having downwardly converging sides; the several units being set end to end,

and a continuous stiffening'rail extending from end to end of theseveral units and resting in their said grooves and post notches, the Arail having bevelled side edges and adapted tobe wedged down into the grooves and notches to the several units; filler boards filling the spaces between the outermost posts of the partition structure and the wall surfaces between which the par tition is set, and screw `operated bearing' blocks on the filler boards adapted .to vbe forced against said wall surfaces; the stiffening rail having a longitudinal groove in its upper surface, a plurality of unitsfset with their lower edges in said groove, a-continuous ceiling bearing rail above the upper edges of said units, and means connecting 'said units to the ceiling bearing rail and whereby that rail may be forced up against the ceiling.. j y, y

8. A partition` structure involving a plurality of units comprising vertical kpostsand my name this 2l PIERCE Il.` THOMASON.

claim'the foregoing l l. 

